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Vaccinations Racing with Daily Infections; Easing of Restrictions Has Consequences; U.K. Looking to Implement a Vaccine Passport; India's Festivities Worsen COVID-19 Cases; P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu's Trial Resumes; Jordan Accuses Prince of Trying to Destabilize Country; Infrastructure and Jobs Plan is Biden's Next Legislative Push; Russia is Shoring Up Military Power in the Arctic; Florida Crews Work to Stop Catastrophic Flood Situation; Stanford Tops Arizona to Win NCAA Women's Championship. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired April 05, 2021 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from in the United States and all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.

Coming up on CNN Newsroom, the U.S. is vaccinating at record speed but experts worry it's still not enough to outpace yet another COVID surge.

We are live in Jerusalem where the Israeli prime minister is in court to face corruption charges as he tries to hold on to power.

And a CNN exclusive. Satellite images show Russia is testing new weapons in the Arctic. Moscow insists peaceful motives. Experts say otherwise.

So, a public messaging tightrope for U.S. health authorities. They are celebrating of course those vaccination gains while emphasizing that we haven't gone back to normal just yet. Now, new COVID cases are holding steady or falling across much of the country as vaccination numbers rise. But a forced coronavirus wave looms in the upper Midwest, driven in part by increased movement.

And we're now seeing more movement right across the country. This was the scene at Atlanta's airport on Easter Sunday. I mean, take a look. Amid a record setting travel during the pandemic, the CDC updating its travel guidance Friday but it seems that not everyone got the message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: The CDC says that if you had the vaccine it's safe to travel but they're asking people not to travel that much is they have to. Does that still factor into the decisions that you make you think about travel decisions? STEPHANIE MORRELL, VIRGINIA RESIDENT: Can I say not so much? No. Not

so much. I mean, we'll be vaccined. We're scheduled, so I guess that, I guess will alleviate some worries for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON (on camera): OK. U.S. health experts meantime have their work cut out for them as you can see from what she said.

Here is Natasha Chen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On the second Easter into the pandemic there are more signs of hope and a resurrection of life compared to a year ago.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We share the sentiments Pope Francis who said that getting vaccinated is a moral obligation, one that can save your life and the life of others.

CHEN: The U.S.is now averaging more than three million COVID-19 vaccines administered every day. Even with the recent discarding of 15 million potential doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A source familiar with the company's vaccine manufacturing process says it's not a major setback and that it can be made up in a few weeks.

The federal government has now directed Johnson and Johnson to take over the manufacturing of its vaccine at the Baltimore facility where the contamination occurred. But even with a strong U.S. vaccine rollout, some places like Mississippi are seeing what appears to be widespread vaccine hesitancy.

GOV. TATE REEVES (R-MS): We need to make sure that we educate our people and let them know that this vaccine is safe, that this is, and while it is under an emergency use authorization it has gone through clinical trials with literally tens of thousands of individuals who have done that. It has been peer reviewed.

CHEN: Mississippi also just relaxed indoor capacity guidelines. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Michigan reported its highest daily case count since December 7th. And experts warned that things could soon get worse.

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, MEMBER, PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN'S COVID-19 ADVISORY BOARD: At this time, we really are in a category five hurricane status with regard to the rest of the world. At this point, we will see in the next two weeks the highest number of cases reported globally since the beginning of the pandemic.

In terms of the United States, we're just at the beginning of the surge. We haven't even really begun to see it yet.

CHEN: The CDC hasn't said whether the B117 variant is the dominant strain in the U.S. even though its own scientists predicted it would be by now. These variants are concerning but this is exactly what the virus is

built to do and the vaccine is eliciting such good immune responses that while there is a damper in efficacy probably, it won't completely obliterate the response especially on a pandemic scale.

CHEN: Eighteen percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. Including George Tarnowski (Ph) who traveled from Buffalo, New York to be with family in Marietta, Georgia for his first in-person socially distance a church service since the pandemic began.

UNKNOWN: A big step in the right direction. We are headed -- we are headed in the right way.

[03:05:00]

CHEN: Tim and Joey Minister are vaccinated as well.

JOEY MINISTER, ATTENDED EASTER CHURCH SERVICE: I got to tell you, it's wonderful to be here, but it's also wonderful to see people you haven't seen, you know, in almost a year. And you hope to keep connected to them.

CHEN: Celebrating the spirit of renewal while acknowledging the challenges that are still here.

RAY CADRAN, PRIEST, CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST. ANN: In the coming back, we don't want to lessen the concern for the safety of our people. So we continue to keep our safety protocols. I'm still concerned about the safety of the youngest once to the most elderly.

CHEN: Natasha Chen, CNN, Georgia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON (on camera): CNN medical analyst Dr. Jorge Rodriguez joins me now from Los Angeles. He's an internal medicine and viral specialist.

And you know, it must be said what everyone is hearing is that, look, we need to be cautious. And there's even been a sense of foreboding coming from officials. And yet, I have to tell you, just traveling around this country, it is as if America has moved on from this virus. How dangerous is that posture right now?

JORGE RODRIGUEZ, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: It's very dangerous. And unfortunately, this is what has gotten us into trouble time and time again, when we have jumped the gun, when we stepped outside without any caution in the middle of the hurricane. This pandemic is far from over unfortunately.

Yes, we had a huge spike earlier this year that has come down dramatically. But it has not come down to the point where we were in April. So, we are still at a very dangerous level. And it's a little bit disconcerting that people are just not paying attention to this and the doors are wide open in many areas.

NEWTON: Yes. And that's really what it's about. And it's as if almost people have forgotten that this virus has still managed to outsmart us time and again. Now the variance they are concerning of course. There is now something that is called a mutant variant. Can you explain that to us? Apparently, it's where two mutations come together in the same virus. But what are the implications of that?

RODRIGUEZ: Well it all depends where the mutations occur. Let me very quickly biological explanation here. The virus has 29,811 beads, they are called nuclear tides. And when the virus makes another virus it should be identical to the sequence of those beads.

For example, number one should be red, number two blue. When by chance one of those beads gets supplanted by a different color or a different nuclear tied, that's a mutation. Some mutations have no consequence. But some of them, for example, what is now called the India virus mutation, et cetera, has two mutations that change the spike protein where the virus latches on.

We don't think this has much consequence but the fact that there are two mutations affecting this very important part of the virus is of -- well, I don't want to say concern, but it's definitely worth looking at. And mutations are going to happen, Paula, as long as people continue to get infected. That's a fact.

NEWTON: And that is what I really want to try and get to the point to. We are starting to talk about passport vaccines and it seems a bit ridiculous considering we're going to get ahead of ourselves. From everything that you see and how quickly the variants are spreading now. It is as if we will continually be one step behind this virus.

RODRIGUEZ: Well hopefully not, but that certainly is a possibility. In some days it does seem that way. And I think you're right, absolutely. You took the words out of my mouth. I was going to say that we're almost putting the cart in front of the horse as far as talking about vaccine passport.

But some countries, for example, Israel have started to require people show they have been vaccinated in order to come in. So, some people are going to say that this is against their civil liberties, et cetera, eventually this may go to courts. But right now, we just need to stay our ground and see what is happening, what is changing before we start extrapolating into the future of vaccination passports.

NEWTON: And quickly, doctor, do you see any way that we will not have to have a booster to this vaccine? Or, and I know they're still doing clinical trials on this, or have to have, have to be vaccinated again?

RODRIGUEZ: I think that eventually we'll be vaccinated again. And hopefully, each vaccine will be changed. I know it will be changed to sort of protect us against the variance. The question is, will we need to get vaccinated a year from the original, two years. And you're right. All those studies are ongoing. It's great that the latest study show that we have at least six months protection and they only said that because that's only how far we can go.

But I do think eventually we are going to need boosters to what's going to become an endemic disease, something that is around all the time.

NEWTON: Yes, and important to remember. In many, most areas of the world in fact, there are no vaccines at the moment.

[03:10:02]

RODRIGUEZ: Exactly.

NEWTON: Dr. Rodriguez, thanks so much. I really appreciate it.

RODRIGUEZ: My pleasure.

NEWTON: Now later today, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to lay out a road map to further ease COVID restrictions there. Now we expect to find out more about this plan from what are commonly called vaccine passports, and of course, a timeline to relaunch international travel.

Now the government plans to test the program at live events in the coming weeks.

Now for more on what we can expect to hear from Boris Johnson, I'm joined by CNN's Salma Abdelaziz in London, a lot of anticipation about this announcement. And yet is there some unease, really, that the government could unfortunately get it wrong again?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN PRODUCER: Absolutely, Paula. I mean, it's sort of two sides of the coin, isn't it? There's the joy the fact that for many people in this country you have not been allowed to travel outside of this country since Christmas time since even before that for some people.

So, that excitement, that anticipation, that normal life could resume in some ways, that social events, that concerts and big sports events could begin to happen. That's very exciting. That's something everyone is really looking forward to in the prime minister's announcement.

But as you said, there's a great deal of controversy around what is colloquially known as vaccine passports. What the government is insisting is actually called a COVID status certification but really functions in the same way. And this is something that authorities had promised up and down would never ever happen.

But this weekend, in an op-ed one, senior government official argued that when we're seeing countries like Israel, for example, that are requiring some form of proof that you've taken a vaccine in order to enter those countries then why not use this domestically to make things better?

But yes, concerns ethically about people civil liberties, concerns about the rights of people who might not be able to take the vaccine for health reasons and concerns about how the authorities are going to be able to manage all of this with these ethical concerns. They already have an uprising over 70 M.P.s, members of parliament, who signed an open letter over the weekend saying that this vaccine passport, this COVID status certification will be divisive and will be discriminatory.

So Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face some tough opposition in pushing out these measures in trying to make this happen. But yes, this announcement should allow for pilot programs to begin to test this. And I think that's when we are going to start to see the issues come through, Paula.

NEWTON: I know a lot of excitement about those events. COVID status certification doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. But again, they are on the leading edge of this because of their vaccine rollout. So, we'll wait to hear more details.

Salma, thanks so much. I appreciate it.

Now India has recorded more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day. The highest number since the pandemic began. There were more than 103,000 reported cases just in the last 24 hours, beating the previous record set less September.

Now the alarming figure underlines the worsening situation inside the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting Sunday to review COVID procedures and called for healthcare infrastructure to be ramped up.

I want to go live now to Delhi where CNN's Vedika Sud is standing by for us.

Yes, that is a big number. The caseload seems more and more alarming by the hour. What is the Indian government counting on really, in terms of mitigation to try and get those, that caseload to get those numbers down?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Good to be with you, Paula.

Well, the writing was on the wall when it comes to these alarming numbers that you're talking about because since mid-March we've seen a huge surge in the COVID-19 cases on a daily basis. In fact, since the beginning of April there's been a huge surge within 24 hours in these cases.

So, one was, anticipating figures to reach the hundred thousand mark sooner than later, and it has happened today. Like you mentioned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting yesterday. The focus is also on one state, the state of Maharashtra, the richest state in the country. Mumbai is the capital of the state.

Now Maharashtra is over 57,000 new cases of COVID-19 reported Sunday which is an alarmingly huge number. It's more than half the caseload that's been reported within the last 24 hours. Now Maharashtra? It's a densely populated state as we know. Mumbai itself has a lot of people living in it and there are also a lot of slums in and around Maharashtra because of which there are a lot of -- a lot of crowded spaces where they reside.

Along with that, Mumbai is the financial capital of India. A lot of industrial activities take place not only Mumbai but the rest of Maharashtra. A lot of people move in and out of the area as well. So, it's been business as usual that these local trains that are very famous worldwide in Mumbai.

So, you have a lot of people traveling through those trains as well, (Inaudible), another cause for concern. A special team has now been sent to Maharashtra to assess the situation and understand why it's been the tough of charts through the pandemic when it comes to the highest COVID-19 numbers through the year.

[03:19:58]

Also, there are a lot of festivals that have gone by. The festival of Holi, it's a Hindu festival, along with Easter, and now there is a huge religious festival on -- in Uttarakhand, which is the northern states of India. It's known as the Kumbh Mela, one of the biggest religious festivals not only across India but the world.

You have tens of thousands of people congregating through the month of April in this area. And that's a cause for concern. The state government has put some strict restrictions in place especially a COVID test and to ask before reaching the venue. But of course, this could turn into a super spreader and that's the worry.

But along with this, the medical experts that I've spoken to, Paula, have been saying that it shouldn't really be alarming that India has crossed 100,000 cases given the population of the country, and given the fact the last time India recorded a high which was the highest through the earth till today which was 98,000 cases in 24 hours in mid-September was when the lockdowns.

So successive lockdowns eased out and the economy was picking up. This time there is no lockdown. So how can we expect the numbers not to increase given that India is increasing a second wave of COVID-19? Paula?

NEWTON: Yes. All good points, and of course all eyes on any new mutations and variants that they have there. Vedika Sud for us live in Delhi. We'll continue to keep an eye on it. I appreciate it.

Still to come for us here on Newsroom, Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in court. The Israeli prime minister is facing charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust which he denies. We are live in Jerusalem just ahead.

[03:20:00]

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NEWTON (on camera): The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin begins in the coming hours, it resumes, rather. He is charged with murder in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. Now this week, jurist will hear from more witnesses after of course what were days of gut-wrenching testimony.

The prosecution argues that Chauvin literally squeezed the life out of George Floyd. One of the most damning moments came during the testimony of the most senior officer of the Minneapolis police force.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD ZIMMERMAN, POLICE HOMICIDE OFFICER, MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Pulling him down to the ground face down and putting a knee on the neck for that amount of time is just uncalled for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON (on camera): So, the defense argues Floyd's pre-existing health conditions and alleged drug use are to blame for his death and say Chauvin acted by the book.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC NELSON, DEFENSE LAWYER: You will learn that Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do over the course of his 19-year career. The use of force is not attractive. But it is a necessary component of policing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON (on camera): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial has now resumed. He is accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust which he denies. It comes of course amid deep political uncertainty in Israel. There was no clear winner of the recent elections, so today, the country's president is beginning to try and decide who should form a government.

For more CNN's Hadas Gold joins me now live from Jerusalem. You know, Netanyahu has always said that he would vigorously defend himself against these charges, of course, he will continue to do that. But the other things on his plate it is incredible at this point, it is fair to say that there's different things at stake this time around as he is trying to cobble to gather that government.

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Paula. it's definitely a split screen day. We just saw Benjamin Netanyahu leaving the courthouse after listening to the state prosecutor lay out a litany of charges against him. Three main cases as you noted for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. But it is a split screen day here in Jerusalem, because while Netanyahu was sitting in court less than two miles away, his Likud Party colleagues are trying to convince the Israeli president that Netanyahu is the one who should form the next government. But you cannot look at one of these events without the other.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOLD (voice over): So, this is what Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to be doing Monday morning. Visiting the head of state, trying to convince the president to give him the mandate to form a governing coalition.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Any other government that is formed that is not a right-wing government will be an unstable left-wing government that will be formed against the clear and absolute ideology of the majority.

GOLD: Instead, he'll be back here at the Jerusalem district court for the start of the evidentiary phase of his corruption trial. But the two are intimately linked. And if his Likud Party colleagues achieve success at the president's residence in Netanyahu's absence, that could help with his potential success in court, says the head of the Israeli Democracy Institute, Yohanan Plesner.

YOHANAN PLESNER, PRESIDENT, ISRAEL DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE: The past two years the legal clock and the political clock are completely intertwined. Nothing that happens in Israeli politics can be really understood without understanding the timeline of Netanyahu's trial. Netanyahu's key motivation is to dodge the legal process or to try and somehow overcome it.

GOLD: Netanyahu faces charges in three separate cases. In case 4000, Netanyahu faces the most serious charge of bribery, as well as fraud and breach of trust. Prosecutors say Netanyahu advanced hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of regulatory reforms for a multi- millionaire businessman in exchange for favorable coverage in the businessman's Walla News web site.

In case 2000, prosecutors say the prime minister sought favorable coverage from the publisher of one of Israel's largest newspapers in exchange for limiting the circulation of the paper's main rival. And in case 1000, prosecutors saying Netanyahu received gifts such as cigars and champagne from overseas businessmen. Something a public servant should not do.

NETANYAHU: They created a crime that doesn't exist in the real books of the United States.

GOLD: Netanyahu denies all the charges and he said he wants the case to run its course.

NETANYAHU: Basically, a fake witch hunt with fake charges, with blackmailing witnesses. It's unbelievable. Erasing documents. Creating new crimes. This is just ridiculous. I mean, the whole thing is just collapsing under (Inaudible).

[03:25:05]

GOLD: In the political arena Netanyahu faces what many analysts say is an insurmountable task, trying to cobble together a 61-seat majority coalition either by trying to convince members who had defected from his Likud Party to return, or by getting a small Islamic party to sit alongside extreme right wing and religious parties.

The opposition parties are having similar problems as they fight amongst themselves about who should lead a potential hodgepodge coalition. But Netanyahu presses on. Israel's longest serving prime minister hoping to keep his streak going and keep himself out of jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLD (on camera): Paula, we are expecting hundreds of witnesses to testify on this trial will be taking place Monday through Wednesday every week for the foreseeable future. And in an interesting potential twist for Benjamin Netanyahu, unless he gets special permission, he may have to attend every single day of that trial. Paula?

NEWTON: Wow. I had not realized that. Hadas Gold, good to see you in your new post and you certainly have your hands full. Thanks for joining us. We'll get an update from you soon. I appreciate it.

Now Ethiopia's foreign ministry says Eritrean troops have begun withdrawing from Ethiopia's Tigray region. For the past five months Ethiopia's military has been fighting the Tigray's People's Liberation Front, a group in northern Ethiopia. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed recently just admitted what the world knew that Eritrean forces are there as well.

Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed in the conflict. A CNN investigation compiled eyewitness testimony claiming that soldiers from Eritrea were carrying our massacres, extrajudicial killings and deploying rape and sexual violence as a weapon.

Jordan says it uncovered a plan to destabilize the kingdom and the government is pointing the finger directly at a member of the royal family. More on that after the break.

And U.S. President Joe Biden has another big plan in the works. His next focus? A bill to create jobs and rebuild America's crumbling infrastructure.

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[03:30:00]

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PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A Taiwanese court has revoked bail for the truck driver involved in a deadly train crash on Friday that killed at least 50 people. He was detained by the courts over fears he could be a flight risk, collude with others, or even trying to destroy evidence.

The driver says he is deeply remorseful and will cooperate with the police investigation. Authorities believe his truck slid down an embankment last Friday and hit a passing eight-car train carrying nearly 500 people, causing it to come off the rails and hit the wall of the tunnel that was passing through.

Now to the dramatic political events in Jordan where the government has accused former crown prince Hamzah bin Hussein of trying to destabilize the country. The deputy prime minister says security officials have foiled the plan which allegedly involved the prince's associates and foreign entities.

Ben Wedeman is following the events from Beirut for us. Yeah, Ben, we've all been saying it, right, the details of what's going on here have been completely unnerving and frankly a bit bizarre, but what's at stake now that what is obviously turmoil within the royal family is now out in the open?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a story not been around for a few years, Paula. That really causes one a bit of vertigo when you look into the details of it. And, of course, the details are still very vague.

Now, what is interesting is that Ayman Safadi, the deputy prime minister, never use the word coup d'etat in his press conference yesterday in Amman. Jordanian officials, including Safadi, are talking about attempts to destabilize the kingdom, security, and stability. And of course, they all revolve around Hamzah bin Hussein, the once crown prince of Jordan.

He was declared crown prince in 1999, when King Abdullah II became king of Jordan after the death of his father, King Hussein. But in 2004, King Abdullah turned around and named his son, Prince Hussein, the crown prince. It has been clear ever since that Prince Hamzah and his mother, American-born Queen Noor, were not happy about this.

Now, the broad outlines of this situation, shall we say, would indicate that there was some sort of foreign involvement in this plot, so to speak. But the details are fairly unclear at this point in terms of what foreign entities may have been involved.

Now, what is at stake, of course, is the stability of Jordan, an important country in terms of the west's policies in the Middle East, in terms of the attempts to counterterrorism in the region, keeping in mind, of course, that Jordan is in the unfortunate situation of being a neighbor to Israel, the Palestinian territory, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. It is home to more than 600,000 Syrian refugees.

At the moment, its economy is in very bad shape and it is grappling with a severe outbreak of coronavirus. So any form of instability or uncertainty in Jordan has impact well beyond its immediate neighborhood. Paula?

NEWTON: Which leads me to my next question now. You know, you mentioned Queen Noor. I would point out that she did tweet that she was praying that truth and justice would prevail and that this was wicked slander. You know, you mentioned (INAUDIBLE). How rattled would Jordan's allies, principally the United States, but also in the region be? And do they have a reason to worry here?

WEDEMAN: There is a reason to worry because in Jordan's history, there has never been this sort of palace intrigue, really dirty laundry being washed in the open like this before. Therefore, yes, this represents something that is unprecedented for Jordan. So, obviously, the United States is worried.

[03:34:59]

WEDEMAN: As far as its regional allies, if you can call them that, are concerned, yes, they have all sort of chimed in to voice their support for Jordan, but there is reason to believe that some of that support may not be altogether sincere. For instance, Bassem Awadallah, the former finance minister of Jordan, former chief of the royal court, at some point became an adviser to crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. And of course, Bassem Awadallah is one of those who has been detained as a result of involvement in this situation, shall we call it.

There are also some indications that there is an Israeli individual who has also come out and offered a private jet for the wife of Prince Hamzah to get her out of the country, which raises the question of an Israeli role in all of this.

So there are so many pieces to this puzzle sorting it out. If it is ever sorted out, it's going to be difficult. Paula?

NEWTON (on camera): Yeah, and the plot thickens. So I will remind you that you reminded us that you have been around a long time, and I'm glad you're here to walk us through that as this has been a very confusing situation. Ben Wedeman for us, appreciate it.

Now, U.S. President Joe Biden is making infrastructure and jobs, his next major legislative push. Last week, he unveiled a massive plan, addressing both issues. This week, Mr. Biden is focused on whipping up support and countering critics. Arlette Saenz has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: After spending the holiday weekend at Camp David, President Biden will return here to the White House on Monday, where he will get right to work on pitching his American jobs plan, that sweeping $2.25 trillion investment in infrastructure and jobs.

The president has indicated he believes there will be changes made to this proposal as he is looking to not only get republican side on but also to ensure that his democratic caucus stays together to support this proposal.

Now, the president has said he will invite both Republicans and Democrats into the Oval Office to talk about their ideas for the plan. And he has also dispatched five of his cabinet secretaries, what he is calling a so-called jobs cabinet, to pitch this plan to the American people and to get by in in this whole discussion with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

They are also reaching out to mayors and local governors, trying to build that support out in the country. And the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, talked about the president's desire for this package to both be bipartisan but also ensure that they are quick in their action. Take a listen.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, SECRETARY OF DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: The president really believes in a bipartisan approach and it's one of the reasons I am constantly having conversations with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle gathering ideas. Bottom line is we've got to deliver for the American people, and we can't let politics slow this down to where it doesn't actually happen.

SAENZ: Now, Republicans have been fierce in their opposition to that $2.25 trillion price tag and the tax hikes for corporations that the president has proposed to pay for this proposal. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he is prepared to fight the president every step of the way.

And it's not just Republicans that the president needs to worry about. He also needs to keep an eye on his democratic caucus. There are moderates who are calling for specific elements of this proposal to be changed. And progressives are saying that the president could go bolder.

But one thing that you hear over and over from White House officials is that statutes about getting bipartisan support from lawmakers. It is building that bipartisan support out in the country, which is what you saw a tactic from them that you saw during the American Rescue Plan as they are trying to get support from Republicans and Democrats, ordinary American voters, as they are trying to pressure these lawmakers to get on board.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NEWTON (on camera): Just ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," the ice in the arctic is melting. Russia's military is taking advantage of it. We will tell you what they're doing there in a CNN exclusive report.

And safety crews in Florida are working to prevent what officials say is a potential catastrophic flood situation. Why a toxic wastewater is threatening one community and what authorities are doing about it, that's next.

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[03:40:00]

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NEWTON: Russia is taking full advantage of climate change to try and shore up its military power. Now, it is testing new weapons in the arctic in areas where there has been quite a bit of ice melt. What the Russians are doing there could have, in fact, major implications for the United States and other western allies.

International security editor Nick Paton Walsh is in London with the exclusive reporting. Now, you know, experts have been warning about this for at least a decade now and yet a lot of what they feared, Russia seems to be trying to implement now.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (on camera): Well, certainly, and the ice is melting significantly faster than many scientists, diplomats, or military experts had, in fact, expected.

Yes, you're right, there has been a lot of talk about Russia doing things, but here, they are actually implementing significant military maneuvers, heightening in the last month or so with the test and completion of tests in the months ahead of these new super weapons long advertised by the Kremlin head, Russian President Vladimir Putin, but often thought by U.S. officials to simply be too terrifying to ever be possible.

But there are signs. They are moving to fruition. And just recently too, all of these enables Russia's stronger hold on what is called the Northern Sea Route, potentially a route from Asia to Europe that is half the length almost of that of the Suez Canal. Remember, that in trouble recently, yet again, another fact, increasing competition for control on this new ice-free sea lane.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

PATON WALSH: It is the new frontier expanding for all the wrong reasons with pushing neighbors rushing in. Russia is seeing the arctic ice melt fast and filling the gap with the military buildup, some of it on Alaska's doorstep not seen since the Cold War.

Here is a new generation of super weapons, like the Poseidon, a 120- mile an hour nuclear propelled stealth torpedo. It is designed, say Russian official, to sneak past U.S. coastal defenses and detonate a warhead, causing a radioactive tsunami to hit the east coast with contaminated water.

Experts tell CNN the weapon is -- quote -- "very real." It will be tested in the summer near Norway, whose intelligence had said it's not only the ecological damage that could be bad.

NILS ANDREAS STENSONES, NORWEGIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF: It is in the testing phase. It's a strategic system and it's aimed at targets and has an influence far beyond the region in which they test it currently.

[03:45:05]

PATON WALSH: Some said Russian President Vladimir Putin was fantasizing when he revealed this and other new weapons like the hypersonic Zircon missile in 2018, but continuing development and tests make them very real.

UNKNOWN: Russia is projecting an image. It is developing new technology. And this, of course, is destabilizing the strategic balance.

HEATHER CONLEY, SVP FOR EUROPE, EURASIA AND THE ARCTIC, CSIS: They are now starting to develop those capabilities that could reach the United States and its NATO allies.

PATON WALSH: That is not all Russia is up to. CNN has obtained satellite images revealing the persistent buildup of Russian bases along its northern coastline, part of what the U.S. State Department officials called a military challenge.

Close to Alaska, at Provideniya and Wrangler Island, a two new radar stations were stationed in Anadyr, a quick reaction alert force of bombers and jets. West in Kotelny, a thin strip of land is seen over seven years the slow growth of a large air strip.

And in the Nagurskoye in the northernmost point is another base that sprung up since 2015, one of several in the arctic, decorated in the colors of the Russian flag.

Nagurskoye and the nearby airfield of Rogachevo are both home to make 31 jets, recent arrivals. And for the west, at Olenya Guba, on the Kola Peninsula, over the past four years, experts believe a storage facility has slowly been built up with the Poseidon torpedo.

Russia has had its eye on being the arctic power for years and is now moving to make that happen. Yes, this is its coastline, for sure, but U.S. officials have expressed concerns to me that this buildup is not just about protecting, it is also about projecting power across the ice, even towards the North Pole.

There are new resources to exploit under the ice, yes, but Russia released this video in January, the first time afraid to get through the ice in the east in the thick winter to sell a new trade route along its northern coast. It's a possible money maker for the Kremlin, cutting the current journey time from Asia to Europe through the Suez Canal nearly in half.

U.S. officials voiced concern to CNN that Russia is already demanding ships use Russian cruise and get permission to cross this. In response to Russia's buildup, the U.S. has sent B1 bombers to fly out of and marines to train in Norway. Who gets there first, makes the rules, they say, in the rush for a place nobody should want to be conquerable.

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PATON WALSH (on camera): We asked the Russian foreign ministry and Russian experts for comment on this and received no response. But it's important to point out that Russian President Vladimir Putin in an extensive arctic plan published twice has pointed that their interest in the arctic are purely economic and peaceful.

While you do see the significant military buildup, Russia would of course argue this is its coastline, so it is entitled to do exactly what it want. But the broader issue here is that rush, for military resources in the north, is being matched by the other arctic neighbor, the United States.

There is a fear, I think, possibly that the shear pace in which this buildup is occurring with unpredictable things like the Poseidon torpedo, a terrifying notion, frankly, that could to miscalculation, could lead to simply an escalation there which nobody needs.

The important point to realize, frankly, is that this is a part of the world un-accessible, bleak, desolate for millennia, which is now suddenly a place where people have to calculate what might the militarily need to do or be able to do. It is startling change ahead here which is being matched by military advances. Paula?

NEWTON: Yeah, and a change, unfortunately, that has only been made possible because, as you say, this is still a climate emergency, when we are looking at those extraordinary pictures of, you know, the Russian ship going through that ice.

Nick Paton Walsh, I really appreciate the report. Thanks so much.

Now, response teams in Florida are trying to prevent what authorities say is a real catastrophic flood situation. The problem is that a decommissioned phosphate plant south of Tampa, wastewater is stored at the facility. Officials fear the wall holding that water back could collapse. Threat of toxic flooding in the area has forced hundreds of residents from their homes. The governor took an aerial tour of the site and says everything is being done to keep people safe.

Joining us now for more on this is Tyler Mauldin. He is with us. He has been following this update. You know, just the updates on this have been alarming and yet we did get some good news in the last 24 hours?

TYLER MAULDIN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So, Paula, it looks like the threat of that wall of water coming in has lessened a little bit, so that is good news, but there are myriad of hazards with this situation, with that fertilizer plant, and the issues there with that leak.

[03:50:02]

MAULDIN: We have the Florida state of emergency issued for the Manatee County. And to give you a little idea of exactly where this is located, so here is the state of Florida, we will zoom in to the Tampa Saint Pete area because this is right where the plant is located, the former plant is located, the Piney Point Plant is right there.

And the issue here is that the Tampa Bay is right over there, I mean it is close, and they're pumping the water out so they can fix the leak here. They're pumping the water out and they're putting it in the Tampa Bay.

That is an issue because this is a huge fishing community. This is a huge fishing industry in this area. The revenue brings in $27.8 billion. It provides 173,000 jobs to the area. And with this nutrient- rich water leaking on into the Tampa Bay and then them pumping the water in the Tampa Bay, well, that is leading that nutrient-rich water sitting there and that can lead to red tide and algae blooms.

If you lived in Florida, well, you know that that can be very harmful when those red tides start to develop because it hinders the fishing community, it causes a lot of fish to unfortunately die and it can harmful to you, and it smells terrible.

And as you can see here, if all that water begins to just rush all the way in, it could potentially get all the way up to 371 Olympic-sized pools.

Here's the thing. The high tides, as you can see here, aren't going to be very helpful with this because it is actually going to push that nutrient-rich water, Paula, deeper on into the Tampa Bay. So we could be looking at some pretty big impacts from this situation.

NEWTON: Yeah. We are certainly hoping that Florida officials are able to get it under control because that's exactly what they want to do. Tyler Mauldin, thank you so much, really appreciate it. We will be right back with more news in a moment.

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[03:55:00]

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NEWTON (on camera): Stanford is back. The women's college basketball team edged out Arizona on Sunday to win the NCAA championship. Andy Scholes has details.

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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: The women's tournament started with 64 teams in San Antonio. In the end, Stanford, the last team standing as national champions, and it was quite the journey this season for the Cardinal.

Because the entire tournament was held in Texas and because of COVID protocols in their home state of California, the Stanford women's team spent a whopping 87 nights in hotels this season. It just goes to show you how resilient this team is.

The game against Arizona, very tight in the fourth quarter, under three minutes to go. Hayley Jones, the bucket plus the foul, puts Stanford up by four. Down one, five seconds to go, Arizona had a chance to win this game, but Stanford all over Aari McDonald, first shot, no good, and Stanford wins a thriller, 54-53.

Tara VanDerveer, the women's head coach in women's college basketball history, now she has her third national title, first since 1992.

TARA VANDERVEER, STANFORD HEAD COACH: It was a very, very tough tournament. To play the three games in a week, you know, to deal with all the COVID stuff, I am so proud of our team.

HALEY JONES, STANFORD GUARD: So many great players have passed this program and it all come to the same reason that we have, to be coached by the greatest to develop, not only as a player, but as a person, as a young woman. And so I think this is -- it is just an honor to be able to do this for her and with her.

KIANA WILLIAMS, STANFORD GUARD: To win it for Tara in the same year that she's become the all-time women's coach, it just -- it just means everything.

SCHOLES: Congrats to Stanford. The men, meanwhile, will crown a champion here in Indianapolis Monday night and it is the matchup that all of college basketball has been waiting for. Gonzaga versus Baylor, they have been the best two teams all season long and one of them will leave Indianapolis Monday night as champions for the first time. (END VIDEO TAPE)

NEWTON (on camera): And our thanks to Andy Scholes there. And thank you for watching. I'm Paula Newton. "CNN Newsroom" is back in a quick break.

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